Issa Rae can attest that the upcoming "Barbie" movie was "hands down the nicest set that [she's] ever been on," despite the fact that many details remain closely under wraps. The Greta Gerwig-directed film, which stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, is scheduled for release in July 2023. Rae discusses filming the eagerly awaited movie in an interview with POPSUGAR to mark American Express Travel's 2023 trending locations list, calling the set just "wonderful energy."
The top is where it begins. You have two female employees: the director and the lead.
"There, I formed so many bonds. "Everyone on that set, from Will Ferrell to Ryan Gosling, had simply amazing vibes and great to be around," she claims. Alongside Hari Nef and Robbie, Rae, who is said to be playing one of the versions of Barbie, praises Gerwig and Robbie for "curating the best vibes" for an upbeat, relaxed show. According to the actor-producer, "It starts at the top." "You have two people—your director and your lead, I must say—and both of them are women. They are simply both highly brilliant and incredible individuals. They turned it into a safe haven.
She adds, "You have a director who's motivating you to do your best and feeding you amazing material," as she continues her laudatory remarks for Gerwig. You are simply more at ease trying. Her excitement is contagious. I was quite grateful for that encounter. Ferrell, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, and other actors will also appear in the movie, which finished filming over the summer.
Rae also discusses how her work on "Insecure" has changed from her new HBO Max series, "Rap Sh!t," which was recently renewed for a second season. Rap Sh!t was absolutely outside of Rae's comfort zone because it was filmed in Atlanta while "Insecure" is set in Los Angeles. She claims that "Insecure" was "so organic and so personal," whereas "I didn't have places in my back pocket that I wanted to highlight, so we were relying so much on natives there. "These were my friends' lives," Rae continues. It was merely an access point, so I didn't have to give it any thought.
For Rae, the rap series' musical component added still another strange element. You need to work well with your music supervision team because you start out with an idea, she advises. I'm not used to divulging so much of the preliminary stages to that crew. It's a process that never ends. It requires me to plan ahead in a way that I wasn't aware I needed to. "We truly want to live in the Rap Sh!t sh*t for season two."
The "Rap Sh!t" creator, who is now in the writing room, discusses the topics she intends to cover in the future season. Rae claims that there is a lot going on in just female rap right now. And because there is just so much going on, the way I've been discussing female rap will already alter from season one to season two. Through our characters, I just want to examine those real-life stories. The first season, she says, was all about introducing Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), whereas the upcoming one will "delve deeply into who they are as people, what drives them." "It'll be interesting to watch where this leg leads them. We genuinely want to live in the Rap Sh!t world for season two, says Rae.
Rae admits she is currently working on another film with "The Woman King" director Gina Prince-Bythewood, as if those two buzzy titles weren't enough. She says, "I get to witness how she moves, and I'm so, so inspired by her." The founder of Hoorae Media mentions wants to be "very thoughtful" in her choice of collaborators, a quality she also values in Prince-Bythewood. She claims that "she is so varied in her body of work." "Who else is accomplishing that, much less a female director? To do 'Love & Basketball,' 'Beyond the Lights,' 'The Old Guard,' and also have 'The Woman King' under your belt? She is incredibly deliberate about where she directs her attention and is not at all driven by financial gain.
